BACKGROUNDER
Portland Coffee Roasters was founded as Portland Roasting Coffee in Portland, Oregon, in 1996 by Mark Stell and Todd Plummer. The company began with a staff of two and built its business by sourcing and purchasing unroasted beans––originally from Central America, South America, Asia, Africa and Hawaii–– then roasting the beans and selling high-quality specialty coffees, mostly to coffee distributors locally and nationally.
Headquartered in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District, it was one of the first boutique roasters in the city, but was soon joined by dozens of others. As these trendy roaster-retailers proliferated, Portland Coffee Roasters thrived as a supplier for mostly wholesale clients. From independents to drive- through chains, white tablecloth restaurants to breakfast diners, and health-care and university campuses to business and industry operations, the company kept cafes, cafeterias and office coffee makers steeped in caffeine.
Today, Portland Coffee Roasters has a diverse staff of nearly 100 throughout seven departments. The company has evolved from a primarily business-to-business operation into a consumer-facing brand. It has also been recognized as one of Portland’s fastest-growing private companies by Portland Business Journal for several years in a row.
In 2015, the company made a concerted effort to get its coffee on more grocery shelves, more than doubling the number of grocery stores where its coffee was available. Many of the new outlets were located in the Midwest and on the East Coast, where “Portland” has a certain cachet as a specialty brand. As a result, Portland Coffee Roasters is now available on grocery shelves nationwide and has expanded its retail presence to five locations in Portland, with three of those serving travelers at the Portland International Airport. In addition, there are two Portland Roasting-branded retail operations run by the Oregon Convention Center within its building.
Since its inception, Portland Coffee Roasters has been rooted in relationships with an eye toward global betterment. It has built sustainable bonds with coffee farmers and communities that have paved the path for many projects in coffee-producing countries and beyond. And it has built a following among customers who appreciate the strong connection between communities in need and their cup of coffee.
In 2019, Portland Coffee Roasters announced a brand refresh that included a name change, a new logo and website, and updated packaging. The company unveiled a brand personality that supports its mission to create positive human connections through coffee by building a socially responsible business. With its revitalized branding, the company is looking to expand to a younger generation of coffee consumers likely to appreciate its commitment to doing good and making good coffee.
EXECUTIVE PROFILE: MARK STELL CO-FOUNDER + MANAGING PARTNER
Mark Stell has been roasting coffee and running retail coffee shops since 1992. Since co-founding Portland Coffee Roasters in 1996, he has helped grow the company to a staff of nearly 100, overseeing green coffee sourcing and purchasing and financial management of wholesale roasting.
Why coffee? In 1992, Mark attended the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to learn about the impact of climate change and sustainability. This is when he became determined to make a change through his profession. Then in the mid-’90s, he had a chance to visit coffee farms in Costa Rica and El Salvador for the first time, where he learned what it takes to grow good coffee. These two visits made Mark decide on his company’s mission.
He was impressed with the depth of the relationship between farm and farmer, and the long-term commitment and love of the land that he saw. He was also struck by the strong link between all steps of the coffee production process––from growing to roasting to brewing––and how each of them impacts coffee quality
After that fateful trip, Mark was hooked. Ever since, he has sought to learn as much as possible about the cultures of coffee-growing regions and eco-friendly farming and business practices.
“The opportunity to travel and source great coffees, and then have a hand in getting those coffees in the hands of consumers, is something I’ll never tire of,” he said. “The beauty and uniqueness of every coffee we buy continually fuels my curiosity about how to maintain quality and sustainability, including caring for the land and the people who work in coffee-growing regions.”
Mark’s business philosophy Under Mark’s leadership, the company has focused on acting responsibly while having fun and positively impacting lives—all while growing year after year.
“I’ve had the good fortune to be given valuable advice from many people, both inside and outside the coffee industry,” he says. Portland Coffee Roasters has earned local and national recognition for its business achievements and sustainability initiatives, including numerous projects that have improved infrastructure and sanitation in coffee-growing regions.
The family farm in Tanzania Mark’s family purchased a coffee farm on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania in 2007. Mark visits a few times a year and consults on the long-term development of the investment. Portland Coffee Roasters purchases coffees from the farm and the surrounding area, helping to increase coffee quality in the region along with raising Tanzanian coffee’s global brand presence.
Mark’s Associations & Memberships ● Founder, Portland Global Initiatives, 2010 – present ● Founder, Ngorongoro Coffee Group Tanzania, 2012 --– present ● Founder, Farm Friendly DirectTM program ● Founder and Past President, Oregon Coffee Board, 2015 – present ● Member, SCAA Sustainability Council ● Board Member, Japan-America Society of Oregon ● Member, Central Eastside Industrial Council ● Member, Specialty Coffee Association ● Member, Oregon Natural Step ● Member, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association
TIMELINE
1992: Mark Stell attended the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to learn the impact of climate change, and visited a coffee farm for the first time 1996: Portland Roasting Coffee founded by Mark Stell and Todd Plummer 1998: First direct-trade purchase made through a partnership with La Hilda Estate in Costa Rica 1999: First project with Finca El Paternal in Guatemala 2001: Formalized direct buying as the Farm Friendly DirectTM program 2002: Worked with the Vargas family to establish internet access and hire a computer instructor to teach all grades at La Hilda Estate School, which educates the children of farmworkers 2003: Funded the building of a school in Papua New Guinea 2004: Moved into current location at 340 SE Seventh Avenue 2006: Donated funds to the Opportunity School for the Deaf and Mentally Challenged to provide work skills training for students in India 2007: Company went carbon neutral 2007: Partnered with other coffee roasters to support the Pembangunan orphanage in the Aceh Highlands of North Sumatra 2009: Founded Portland’s Walk for Water, which raised funds to bring clean water to families in two rural Kenyan communities 2009: Built a water treatment facility in Guatemala 2009: Spearheaded a women’s literacy program book drive in Papua New Guinea 2010: Helped a farm in Guatemala earn Rainforest Alliance certification 2010: Built a water well for a primary school in Tanzania 2011: Began licensed retail sales at the Oregon Convention Center 2011: Completed a four-part water well construction project in Malawi in conjunction with nonprofit group Water for All 2012: Named Roast Magazine’s Large Roaster of the Year 2012: Partnered with World Vision to support their WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) project with funds raised from the fourth annual Walk for Water 2012: Partnered with Portland Global Initiatives and the Portland coffee community to put on a fundraising block party for a water project being completed by nonprofit organization Global Brigades in a rural village in Honduras 2013: Opened first retail shop, located inside roasting facility 2013: Expanded and updated sample roasting lab and training facility 2013: Served Tanager’s Song Organic blend and Swiss Water® Process Vienna Decaf blend at the 85th Academy Awards 2013: Won a Good Food Awards honor for its Ethiopia – Organic Sidamo 2013: Partnered with Portland Global Initiatives and Global Brigades to empower the people of rural Honduras to have access to clean water 2013: Built a water treatment and storage system in Papua New Guinea 2014: Served Goose Hollow blend and Swiss Water® Process Vienna Decaf blend at the 86th Academy Awards 2014: First ski-a-thon held at Mount Hood to raise funds for water improvement projects in collaboration with Global Brigades 2015: Purchased a $550,000 state-of-the-art roaster that doubled the company’s production capacity 2016: Invested $70,000 in technology to capture power that would otherwise be wasted to provide the 25 kilowatt-hours of energy to run its operations 10 hours a day, seven days a week 2016: Opened three locations in the terminals of Portland International Airport 2018: Opened flagship cafe and first stand-alone brick-and-mortar cafe at 815 SE Oak Street 2018: Partnered with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to help provide Healthy Home Kits for coffee farmers who work at Finca El Paternal farm, located in Huehuetenango; kits included smokeless stoves, sanitary latrines and purifying water filters for the homes of farmers 2018: Worked with Portland Global Initiatives and the Human Bean along with The Coffee Source to produce a wastewater collection facility at every coffee farm within the entire region of Caldas, Colombia (168 farms) 2018: Partnered with Portland Global Initiatives, Acacia Hills Coffee Estate and Java Jacket to embark on a project that has brought drinking water closer to the homes of 2,000 people in Tanzania 2019: Changed company name to Portland Coffee Roasters, and updated logo, branding, packaging and website 2019: Announced Holiday Roast to raise funds for Escuela de Caficultura, a school of agriculture in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, that teaches students essential knowledge and skills of coffee production
COFFEES
PORTLAND BRIDGE SERIES Portland is known for its bridges, and these espresso blends are named after our favorite iconic bridges. Each blend carries characteristics as distinct as the bridge.
STEEL: Like the beautiful Portland bridge it’s named after, Steel is one of our most popular blends. One taste and you’ll see why: It’s rich, smooth and full of sweet toffee flavor. It tastes great as both coffee or espresso. An instant classic, even 20 years after we introduced it. Dark roast.
HAWTHORNE: The Hawthorne Bridge is a beloved icon in Portland, so we couldn’t think of a better name for one of our staple blends, formerly known as Trieste Espresso. Blended with coffees from Guatemala and Colombia, Hawthorne is notably chocolaty as your standard brewed coffee or as an espresso shot, with a creamy body and structured finish. Medium roast.
ST. JOHNS: One of our signature blends needed to be named for a beautiful bridge in Portland, and there are few more beautiful than St. Johns. Dizzyingly high and radiant, it’s the perfect pairing with our vibrant, round coffee blend that carries lovely orange flavors across your palate. This blend is great as coffee as well as espresso. It used to be known as the Sorano blend, but we have changed the name to better reflect where we are from and who we are. Light roast.
TILIKUM CROSSING DECAF: Tilikum Crossing is one of Portland’s newest bridges in a city that’s famous for them. Portlanders are proud of the fact that it is the first major bridge in the U.S. that was designed to allow access to transit vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, but not cars. We named our signature Swiss Water® Process decaf blend (formerly known as Vienna Decaf) after it—a full-bodied shot with notes of graham cracker and caramel, and a clean finish. It’s as distinctive as the bridge it’s named for and is great as a decaf cup of coffee or a decaf espresso. Medium roast.
PORTLAND NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES These blends are inspired by the history and culture of unique Portland neighborhoods.
GOOSE HOLLOW: Goose Hollow, like the Portland neighborhood it’s named after, is a warm and inviting coffee. It’s roasted medium-dark, with an entrancing chocolate flavor that wins over everyone who tastes it. A full, creamy body rounds out the experience. This is one of our most popular blends. Medium-dark roast.
MT. TABOR: Mt. Tabor is one of Portland’s most vibrant neighborhoods, so we named a coffee after it: Full bodied with mild acidity, mellow smoky and black pepper notes, and a hint of lemon sweetness. Similar to a traditional Mocha Java blend, this is a blend of coffees from Ethiopia and Sumatra. Medium roast.
SINGLE ORIGIN Portland Coffee Roasters has been building and nurturing long and lasting relationships with coffee growers in different regions. These single-origin coffees are produced and roasted to best showcase the unique characteristics of each region.
COLOMBIA: Bright, vibrant tropical fruit flavors are accentuated by a juicy body and clean finish. Light roast.
COSTA RICA: We began buying coffee from La Hilda Estate in Costa Rica in 1998, and this delicate coffee with bright notes of tangerine and lemongrass shows why. It’s a testament to the commitment of the farmers, and we’re proud to roast it every year. Light roast.
GUATEMALA: This single-origin coffee from Guatemala is one of our longest direct-relationship coffees. It’s very deliberately processed in a sustainable manner that uses less water and takes advantage of the health benefits of the sun—and the unusual complement of a mechanical dryer—to limit any opportunity for moisture. This is all meticulously done on a Rainforest Alliance-certified farm. This coffee has a smooth body, chocolate flavor and a clean finish. It’s delicious black or with your favorite complement. Light roast.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: This coffee thrives however we use it. It makes our blends better, and shines particularly well on its own as a single-origin offering. Big berry flavors and complex acidity sit on a foundation of a round body. A remarkable coffee. Light roast.
TANZANIA: For those looking to explore, Tanzania offers a different experience from other East Africa coffees. This coffee starts clean, and has a light floral flavor and silky body. It’s easy to drink and delicious. Light roast.
ORGANIC Portland Coffee Roasters carries a wide range of organic beans that are sourced from all over the world. All of our organic products are produced under USDA guidelines to meet the highest standard throughout the production process.
ORGANIC HOUSE: House blends should be balanced affairs, with no single characteristic standing out more than the others. Our Organic House does just this, balancing mild acidity, medium body and walnut flavor notes in perfect harmony. Medium roast.
ORGANIC ESPRESSO: Organic Espresso is a blend of organic coffees from Ethiopia, Mexico and Peru. It’s roasted to a medium-dark level to bring out a sweet, dark-chocolate flavor and highlight a full, velvety body. This is a rich, complex coffee that is full of flavor. Medium roast.
ORGANIC ETHIOPIA: This coffee from Ethiopia is an excellent example of what a great washed coffee can be: bright, sweet notes of lemon are complemented by a black tea-like body and finish. A delicate and lovely coffee. Light roast.
ORGANIC HONDURAS: A visit to the Las Capucas cooperative outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras, showed what we already know to be true: The farmers here love to grow coffee. We’re pleased to share this sweet, delicate coffee with notes of caramel and a light, silky body. Light roast.
ORGANIC PERU: Hailing from the beautiful cooperative of Casil outside San Ignacio, this organic coffee from Peru is a consistently excellent choice every year. It is a startlingly clean cup of coffee with brisk, light floral and herbal flavor characteristics and a lovely, almost minty finish. Light roast.
ORGANIC DARK SUMATRA: Organic Dark Sumatra is delightfully rich with a big, heavy body that acts as a foundation for its earthy, sweet flavors and complex finish. We roast it dark to caramelize the sugars and bring out the natural sweetness. Dark roast.
ORGANIC SUMATRA: Like its darker-roasted brother Organic Dark Sumatra, this coffee is distinctively earthy. A light-medium roast profile highlights sweet fruit notes and a mild acidity that we’re excited to share with you. It’s a different take on a coffee that would typically be dark-roasted, and we love it. Light-medium roast.
ORGANIC TANAGER’S SONG: The call of the Western Tanager is light, crisp and melodious. Our Organic Tanager’s Song reflects this call in your coffee cup, balancing mild acidity, medium body and walnut flavor notes in perfect harmony. Light and crisp, it’s a beautiful start to the day. Light roast.
ORGANIC FRENCH ROAST: The organic version of this French Roast is quite sweet, with flavor notes reminiscent of molasses. The flavor lingers, thanks to a full body that comes as a result of the coffees from Honduras, Peru and Mexico that make up this blend. Dark roast.
CLASSIC BLENDS Our classic blends are versatile and suitable for any occasion, any time of the day. From lightly roasted Morning Blend to deeply roasted French, these three types will appeal to a wide range of coffee lovers.
PORTLAND HOUSE: Our version of the classic house blend is a representation of two of our longest- standing relationships: a sweet, chocolaty coffee from Guatemala, and a tangy, fruity coffee from Costa Rica. Together, they balance each other out and have a full body with notes of brown sugar. Medium roast.
FRENCH ROAST: French Roast is a traditional, dark-roasted coffee that is remarkably clean, with the trademark smokiness you know and love from this classic roast. Dark roast.
DECAF FRENCH: Thanks to the team at Swiss Water® Process, not much changes from our regular French Roast to our Decaf French. The same smoky flavors emanate from a clean, round coffee that finishes smooth. It’s as good as any French roast, without the caffeine. Dark roast.
MORNING BLEND: A coffee with bright acidity, a clean body and notes of caramel in a crisp, balanced cup. This light-roasted blend of coffees from Papua New Guinea and Peru is a perfect complement to the morning ritual. Light roast.
IMPACTING GLOBAL COFFEE COMMUNITIES
Since its inception in 1996, Portland Coffee Roasters has been sourcing directly and building sustainable relationships with coffee farmers and communities. Its mission: to create positive human connections through coffee by building a socially responsible business. The company is guided by a set of values that affects every decision it makes with regard to its customers, farmers, products and employees.
Portland Coffee Roasters’ long-standing relationships in coffee communities have paved the path for many projects in coffee-producing countries and beyond. Beginning with its first direct-trade shipment from La Hilda Estate in Costa Rica and its first project in 1999 with Finca El Paternal in Guatemala, Portland Coffee Roasters has provided much-needed water and sanitation for those who lack these basics.
The company follows the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the global standard to organize and measure progress toward a better, more sustainable world. Human health, well-being, diversity, equal rights, education, building and improving agricultural infrastructure such as clean water and water management systems are just some of the goals Portland Coffee Roasters participates in pursuing.
Portland Coffee Roasters has engaged in the following projects as part of its commitment to impacting global coffee communities. For detailed information and images, visit portlandcoffeeroasters.com/social-impact.
● Establishing internet access and hiring a computer instructor to teach all grades at La Hilda Estate School, which educates the children of farmworkers ● Funding the building of a school in Papua New Guinea ● Donating funds to the Opportunity School for the Deaf and Mentally Challenged to provide work skills training for students in India ● Partnering with other coffee roasters to support the Pembangunan orphanage in the Aceh Highlands of North Sumatra ● Founding Portland’s Walk for Water, which raised funds to bring clean water to families in two rural Kenyan communities ● Building a water treatment facility in Guatemala ● Spearheading a women’s literacy program book drive in Papua New Guinea ● Helping a farm in Guatemala earn Rainforest Alliance certification ● Building a water well for a primary school in Tanzania ● Completing a four-part water well construction project in Malawi in conjunction with nonprofit group Water for All ● Partnering with World Vision in 2012 to support their WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) project with funds raised from the fourth annual Walk for Water ● Partnering with Portland Global Initiatives and the Portland coffee community to put on a fundraising block party for a water project being completed by nonprofit organization Global Brigades in a rural village in Honduras ● Partnering with Portland Global Initiatives and Global Brigades to empower the people of rural Honduras to have access to clean water ● Building a water treatment and storage system in Papua New Guinea ● Raising funds for water improvement projects in collaboration with Global Brigades ● Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to help provide Healthy Home Kits for coffee farmers who work at Finca El Paternal, located in Huehuetenango; the kits included smokeless stoves, sanitary latrines and purifying water filters for the homes of farmers ● Working with Portland Global Initiatives and the Human Bean along with The Coffee Source to produce a wastewater collection facility at every coffee farm within the entire region of Caldas, Colombia (168 farms) ● Partnering with Portland Global Initiatives, Acacia Hills Coffee Estate and Java Jacket to embark on a project that has brought drinking water closer to the homes of 2,000 people in Tanzania ● Raising funds for a school of agriculture in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, that teaches students essential knowledge and skills of coffee production
SUSTAINABILITY
Portland Coffee Roasters in the power of business to create positive change. It’s been at the core of how we operate since day one, and we’re constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact and have sustaining social programs.
We know sustainability is about making steady progress, not reaching some final destination. Portland Coffee Roasters is proud of the steps we take to improve our operations, and we’re focused on how to continue improving.
Portland Coffee Roasters, formerly Portland Roasting Coffee, is certified with the Sustainability at Work program through the City of Portland and has received Gold Certification three times in a row.
The company’s headquarters and other buildings are supplied by 100% renewable energy, all generated in the Pacific Northwest.
Some of the company’s other sustainability efforts include:
● Zero-emission deliveries for close-in and downtown customers via B-Line tricycle delivery ● Skylights and motion-activated lights installed to cut down on electricity usage ● Reusable coffee cups and water bottles provided to all employees for use at work ● Used burlap and coffee waste donated to local farmers and gardeners ● Only post-consumer recycled paper products (at least 80% post-consumer waste) used in office ● Recycled boxes (at least 60% post-consumer) used for shipping and deliveries ● Over 56.5 metrics tons of waste recycled per year ● All organic waste is composted
Q&A
Why did you change your name? Our new name puts the focus on people, and that's where our focus as a company has always been. The change to our name is small, but it's truer to who we are. For us, it’s not just about the coffee, it’s about the people.
Why did you change your product packaging? We updated our packaging to be bright, fun and better tell our brand story. The new packaging features a warm, gold background with inviting illustrations that symbolize the global coffee community that we serve and human relationships we value.
How has the logo changed? Our new logo has shifted from a thin and delicate serif font on a cream background to a bold, playful typeset in black on gold. “Portland” is featured in all capitals, front and center, celebrating our history and local culture.
But I loved the little coffee seedlings in the old logo! We did too, but change and evolution are good things! The old packaging was subtle and blended in; we aim to stand out. We hope you’ll grow to love our new hand-drawn doodles that depict the people who create the coffee experience as much as you loved the seedlings!
Why the doodles? Doodles are fun and approachable; they are a genuine expression of human nature and creativity. The doodle theme of our new packaging reflects our culture and personality––understated, accessible and unpretentious.
Who designed the new packaging? Our internal creative team designs all our packaging, working with our R&D and production teams. We have a lot of fun doing it in-house. The illustration was created by Taylor Engel from Portland Coffee Roasters along with Klay Arsenault, who helped us develop each character based on real photography.
What products are available in the new packaging? The packaging for the product line includes 12-ounce bags that are heat sealed and flushed with nitrogen for maximum freshness. They feature a zip closure for a great seal between cups. Our five- pound bulk bags are flushed and heat sealed as well. Our single-serve cups feature two grams more coffee per cup than average single-serve cups. And finally there are our portion packs, which are designed to maintain freshness and consistent results with drip coffee machines.
Is the coffee changing as well? We are only changing the outside of the package, not the inside. Since 1996, we have sourced, roasted and distributed high-quality specialty coffees, and we will continue to do so.
Is Portland Coffee Roasters still the same company I know and love? Absolutely! We’ve changed our name and packaging, but the company is still locally owned and run by the same people, and we continue our mission to be a business that is rooted in relationships with an eye toward global betterment. Since 1996, we have built sustainable bonds with coffee farmers and communities that have paved the path for many projects in coffee-producing countries and beyond, and that is not changing.
We serve your coffee at our business. Will you continue to offer wholesale? Yes, we have a solid existing long-term customer base that includes a substantial wholesale business, and we will continue to service all of these accounts. At the same time, we are looking to expand to a younger generation of coffee consumers who can appreciate our commitment to doing good and making good coffee.
Is the new packaging recyclable or biodegradable? We've learned through experience and research that eco-friendly packaging isn't all it's cracked up to be. Currently, there is not a commercially viable coffee packaging that is 100% recyclable or truly biodegradable unless all of us compost at home. But we never stop looking for new solutions, and we're always in conversation with our suppliers about how to further reduce our negative impact and close loops. We are constantly reviewing sustainable packaging options and comparing them carefully against our own standard. The material we use for our packaging is very light in weight and volume, so that the environmental impact is minimized. There are many new possible solutions on the horizon, and we're excited to explore and consider them all; we will continue evolving our packaging as new options become available.